The Living Marriages Podcast | Effective Communication, Intimacy, Healthy Habits, Christian Counseling, Christian Parenting

We are so excited to introduce you to our good friends, Cris and Christy Harper. After God moved them to Edmonton from Alabama in the midst of a global pandemic to start church ministry, they felt a bit untethered in life and in their marriage. As they were approaching the end of the year, God invited them to a new practice, one which they've developed and practiced regularly at the end of each ye...

In Episode 89, we spoke with our friend Justin Chan about how in being curious about our differences and learning to honour them, God can draw us closer to one another and himself! On today's Thursday Thought we take time to reflect on some of the differences in our marriage, get curious about them and pray about how the Lord might be inviting us to honour these differences. We also are reminded a...

If you've been listening to the podcast for awhile, you'll know that two of the biggest dangers marriages face today are "drift" and "difference". Each is a tool the enemy uses to great effect to drive us further apart in our marriages.  Today's guest, Justin Chan, Director of Oneness for Power to Change and founder of the PRAXIS experience, shares his wisdom and experience of how understanding an...

As we discussed in Ep. 87, the holiday season can be anything but "the most wonderful time of the year." However, with clear communication and intentional planning, our families can move from just surviving this time to actually enjoying and thriving in it. Join us for this Thursday Thought as we reflect further on what kind of communication and planning we might need to have BEFORE we're in the t...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." At least that's how the carol goes. With American Thanksgiving barely in the rearview mirror and Christmas barreling towards us, are you feeling the joy and wonder of the Advent and Christmas seasons or are you feeling the pressure and expectation of yet another holiday? If you're feeling the pressure, like we are, make sure to stop and do this one thi...

On this Thursday Thought, we lean into God's grace and love as we seek to discover God's best for our sex life. We reflect on: Our conversation from Episode 85 with Joanna Sawatsky of baremarriage.com We re-affirm our view of the sacredness of sex intended for the covenant of marriage We lean into God's grace and healing for those affected by pornography, purity culture and more We discuss how obl...

There has been a lot of conversation in Christian circles recently about some of the well-intentioned yet harmful marriage advice that is being perpetuated, especially in some best-selling Christian materials. Today's guest, Joanna Sawatsky, has been working to shine a light on some of these teachings and their effects on marriages through rigorous research. Along with the team at baremarriage.com...

On this Thursday Thought, we take time to reflect on the conversation we had with Matt and Mandy Horne in episode 83. We draw encouragement and instruction from how God held them close and how they walked in "deep trust" with him through challenging transitions in life and marriage. We pray for all of our listeners going through these difficult seasons of transition. Next Steps If you'd like us to...

Mandy and Matt Horne have experienced A LOT of transition in their nearly 25 years of marriage. From several moves to adoption to working in ministry to starting a business, they have experienced the joys and challenges of the different seasons of life God has brought them through. In our conversation you'll hear: How God has held them close and how they have clung to him through difficult transit...

On this Thursday Thought, we reflect back on Ep. 81 and the Marriage Hierarchy of Needs by Sheila and Keith Gregoire from "The Marriage You Want." We reflect and pray on the idea that if one of you feels like you're being chased by a bear in your marriage, you both are! Are we on the same level in our marriage and if not, have we communicated about it? Is this a season we are in by choice and if s...

You may have heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs before - the idea that basic needs (such as food, clothing and safety) must be met before we can move into higher ideals (friendship, self-esteem, self-actualization.) What if the same were true for marriage? Authors Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire think this is the case. In their latest book, "The Marriage You Want", Sheila and Keith p...

After hearing Christina Worthing's powerful and moving story from Episode 79, this Thursday Thought is a simple one: it's a prayer for those who find themselves in unexpected grief and a prayer for those sharing together in that grief. It's a prayer for the church to step into its calling to "mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15) It's a prayer for humility and wisdom in how we do this and fo...

At the Living Marriages Podcast, we feel it a privilege and a calling to share stories of Christ-centred marriages in all of their joys and challenges. Today's stories is about one of those marriages. Christina and Sean loved Jesus and they loved each other. And then suddenly, at a very young age, Sean passed away unexpectedly.  What came next for Christina was a story of inexplicable grief, confu...

On this Thursday Thought, we invite you into a time and space for reflection and prayer as we ask God 3 important questions: 1. What is the fruit that is being produced in my life (both good and bad) 2. Where do you want to prune? 3. What roadblocks do I have which prevent you from doing that work of pruning? It is good to reflect on these questions alone at first but if your spouse is willing, we...

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:16-20 God...

On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on our family of origin (discussed in Episode 75), its impact on our marriage and how God is inviting us to: 1. celebrate the good things from our upbringing 2. acknowledge the unhealthy things 3. examine some of the things we have left unexamined that could be good or unhealthy If you are able, please find some time to listen to this episode with your spouse....

British author, Jay Shetty , shared an image of how our families of origin are like brick houses that we build as we are growing up. Some of those bricks (our habits, understandings, practices) are good, some are crumbling and then there are some gaps in our buildings as well.  How does this affect our marriages? When we get married, we often think that the brick houses we grew up in our the best...

Are you facing some difficult decisions as a family? Are you and your spouse confronting uncertainty in your marriage?  On today's Thursday Thought, we are inviting you and your spouse to listen together (and if you haven't had a chance yet, listen to Episode 73 where we talk about the importance of prayer and listening conversations in times of uncertainty.) What would it look like to truly seek...

Well this was a first for the Living Marriages Podcast. We started recording an episode that, a minute or two in, didn't feel like what God had for us. We always pray and discuss before we record but even with that, we felt that as we got going, God actually had something different in mind. So what to do? God had us pray about it, have a good conversation about it and then come together to talk ab...

On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on how saying "yes" to God may mean letting go of something we hold dear. We'll hold space to hear from God where in our lives he is inviting us to do this, as individuals and as a couple and we'll discover why God has better things for us then our favourite toy trucks at times. Next Steps We'd love to hear from you, whether you'd like to share you story or ask...

This episode began as a conversation about seeking our "Why?" from God - my life's purpose, my life's mission and focus. Aaron shared his "Why" (saying "yes" to Jesus and helping others says "yes") but as sometimes happens, the Spirit takes the conversation elsewhere and as a result we ended up talking about how in saying "yes" to Jesus, we need to be continually in touch with him about what we're...

On this Thursday Thought, we reflect on the powerful and challenging conversation we had with Dr. Barry Danyluk from SEE Globally on Episode 69 in which he invited us to recapture God's heart for the church as family.  We'll consider the ways in which God has given us the mandate, whether we are single, single-again or married, to go and make disciples of all nations. We'll take a moment to consid...

While the Living Marriages Podcast primarily focuses on married couples, we are also blessed to have single and once-again single friends as part of our listening community. How we understand singleness and marriage, especially within the church, can have incredible impact on how we care for one another and our gospel impact in the world. On today's episode, we are excited to welcome Dr. Barry Dan...

Just a heads-up: please make sure you have some time and space to sit with us and the Spirit in today's episode. Grab your journal, a pen and your Bible and join us as we confront the lies we believe about ourselves with the truth of how God sees us. We'll do this by reading Scripture together, having time and space for reflection and prayer. If you haven't yet, please also listen to Ep. 67 to pre...

As we journey into the fullness of what God has for us in our lives and marriages, two important questions need to be continunally asked: "What lies do I believe about myself?" and "Who does God say I am?" Join us as we explore the impact of these two questions and hear the story of how Aaron was sabotaging his marriage early on as a deeply buried lie he believed about himself stopped him from rec...